Space Antenna Handbook

Chapter 11

Emerging Antenna Technologies for Space Applications

Safieddin Safavi- Naeini and Mohammad Fakharzadeh

Center for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Canada

11.1 Introduction

Next-generation space systems require higher data rates, higher precision spacecraft navigation, higher reliability, ultra-broad observation spectrum, and much more cost-effective approaches as compared to today's outdated ‘Apollo-era’ solutions [1]. X-band telemetry systems are rapidly migrating to Ka-band (32 GHz) systems. Large reflector antennas will be replaced by smaller, less costly and wider bandwidth array systems. On the other hand, space scientists and radio astronomers have been concentrating on the highest range of the radio spectrum. Radio technologies have gone beyond 1 THz and, due to high atmospheric absorption, radio telescopes should be deployed at sufficiently high altitude above the atmosphere [2]. The European Space Agency telescopes, Herschel and Planck, will observe the entire range of millimeter waves up to 5.3 THz. millimeter-wave (mmW) and sub-millimeter-wave (sub-mmW) ranges of frequencies such as windows around 54, 118, 183, 243, 325, 424, and 664 GHz can provide critical information about precipitation and ice clouds [3]. Lower microwave and mmW ranges of frequencies (Qu/Ka-band, V-band intersatellite links) [4] are being extensively used for a wide variety of fixed, land-mobile, marine, and airborne SATCOM ...